1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method and a device for the exposing of light-sensitive material to be exposed within a casing closed off to light.
2. Brief Description of the Background of the Invention Including Prior Art
Such a casing requires at least an entrance and/or exit slot, such that the strip-shaped material to be exposed can be inserted and removed again through the same slot, as taught in the German Democratic Republic Printed Patent Document DD-0-154852, or through an entrance, formed by roller pairs in the interior on one side of the light-sealed casing, and a similarly formed exit on another side of a circular cylinder segment shaped apparatus for the strip-shaped material to be exposed according to European Patent EP-0,126,469 B1.
In principle, the path-shaped or strip-shaped material to be exposed is brought into a circular arc-shaped plane at a precisely uniform distance to a center median axis or to a midline. The known method operates in the way that a laser generates a laser beam, wherein the laser beam is deflected through a laser modulator into a collimator. Upon exiting the collimator, the laser beam is directed toward a rotating mirror, wherein the mirror is disposed at an angle relative to the center median axis and, from there, the laser beam is thrown, in the form of and shaped as point-like signals for providing exposure spots onto the material to be exposed.
In principle, this method has been useful, because a high resolution of a picture or text representation can be brought within a relatively short time onto the material to be exposed. The known device is suitable according to the apparatus technology to process the material to be exposed in track-shape such that upon insertion of a strip, following to the strip which has been exposed, there can be achieved a very high degree of automatic operation. However, disadvantages occur in the context of this method in that case, where the number of the exposure spots to be transferred increases, and where in case of very memory-storage-intensive images or textual material the illumination and exposure require a time duration, which could be subject to criticism by the user of the illuminating and exposure devices.
The German Printed Patent Document D-OS 3531458 A1 to Bernd Holthusen teaches a photo-composition apparatus. The composition apparatus of the reference operates with rotating mirror impinged by a modulated laser beam, where the rotating mirror is disposed on a slider and supported at a traverse.
The Scholdstrom U.S. Pat. No. 3,656,828 teaches a light signal apparatus. A pair of oppositely directed beams of light are rotated about an axis. However, the reference does not show the use of the rotating light beam in connection with a photo-composition apparatus.
The Beiser U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,217 teaches a double-reflection light scanner. A light source is provided for generating an input light beam and a rotatable apparatus support is provided and has an axis of rotation that is substantially parallel to the input light beam. Reflectors are provided for deflecting the light. However, this reference does not provide for a photo-composition apparatus structure.